Life-threatening Emergencies: Be Prepared

Life-threatening emergencies can happen anytime, anywhere. They may result from pre-existing health problems, toxins, unintentional injuries, natural disasters or even violence. The trick to handling such situations is to know what to do.

CPR

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is the manual application of chest compression and ventilation to patients in cardiac arrest, done in an effort to maintain viability until advanced help arrives.

In adults, a morsel of food is often the culprit. Young children often swallow small objects. As choking cuts off oxygen to the brain, it is important to administer First Aid as quickly as possible.

CPR allows oxygenated blood to circulate to vital organs such as the brain and heart. CPR started by bystanders doubles the likelihood of survival for a victim of cardiac arrest.

The preliminary steps of CPR as defined by AHA are:

Assess responsiveness by “Shake and Shout”

If unresponsive, call for help (nearest ambulance service)

Check circulation

Carotids (pulse felt next to Adam’s apple in the neck on any one side) for adults

Do not attempt to check carotid pulse on both sides simultaneously

In the absence of pulse, start CPR

CPR

Push hard

Push fast

Centre of chest

Place the heel of one hand straight, clasp fingers with the other hand, elbows straight and start chest compression.

Provide 30 compressions, count your compressions aloud

Rate: @ 100/mins

Depth 11⁄2 to 2 inch (4-5 cm)

After compression leave the chest to recoil

No Interruption

Check airway

Tilt the head and lift the chin.

Check breathing

Quick assessment

No breathing

No normal breath

If not breathing, provide two effective rescue breaths

Note: The above steps are to be repeated till help arrives

Choking

Choking occurs when a foreign object enters and rests in the throat or windpipe, blocking the flow of air. In adults, a morsel of food is often the culprit. Young children often swallow small objects. As choking cuts off oxygen to the brain, it is important to administer First Aid as quickly as possible.

Check for signs

The universal sign for choking are the hands clutched to the throat. If the person doesn’t give the signal, look for these indications:

Inability to talk

Difficulty in breathing or noisy breathing

Inability to cough forcefully

Skin, lips and nails turning blue or dusky

Loss of consciousness

Steps

You would need to perform abdominal thrusts (Heimlich manoeuvre) on someone else, which is explained as below:

Make a fist with one hand. Position it slightly above the person’s navel.

Grasp the fist with the other hand. Press hard into the abdomen with a quick, upward thrust – as if trying to lift the person up.

Perform a total of five abdominal thrusts, if needed. If the blockage still isn’t dislodged, repeat the five-and-five cycle.

If you’re the only rescuer, perform back blows and abdominal thrusts before calling the local emergency number for help. If another person is available, have that person call for help while you perform first aid.
If the person becomes unconscious, perform standard CPR with chest compressions and rescue breaths.